Hunting and Gathering

The seas were calm; the wind light.  Unfortunately, the sun was not on our side as it shone so brightly it lit up the shallow water and cast our shadows across the bottom.  We entered stealth mode.  The kids were (almost) quieted by the snorkels in their mouths.  (A suspicious though happy humming continued from one of them despite the silicone.)  Shhhhhh…..we’re hunting lobster!

Manjack Cay offered us a chance to put homeschool lessons on hunter-gatherer cultures into action.  This private island is home to the best non-resort resort I’ve ever seen.  The owners of the island live there and have a beautifully cultivated all-organic property which they graciously share with cruisers.  Over the last 27 years they have created an oasis replete with coconut, carambola, and allspice trees.  Rosemary grows in large clumps like weeds.  Turtles and eagle rays crowd the mangrove rivers, and lobsters shelter below limestone ledges.  On the beach there is bocce, laser sailboats, hammocks, even a coconut cracking station with a hammer and wedge.  Trails for hiking lead from the Little Bahama Bank to the ocean beach and offer great bird watching opportunities.

We took advantage of the trails late in the day.  (Marley will have a post for you in the near future about her find on our hike.  It’s quite a story!)  Prior to that, Clint and I spent time with the locals on their porch.  We picked carambola (starfruit) and allspice from their yard while the girls pet the chickens.

That morning, though, was the great lobster hunt, and our efforts were not in vain!  Our dinner consisted of fresh lobster with a coconut and starfruit compote over pasta with carrot-cabbage salad with miso dressing.  Yep, that’s how we hunter-gatherers roll!

The sunset was surpassed only by the full moon that rose right on its heels.  We headed to our next hunting grounds the following day but Maniack Cay continues to be the source of some of our favorite memories and stories thus far.